Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
1
MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH AUXILIARY CONTACTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a low-voltage electrical circuit
breaker comprising
- a plurality of juxtaposed poles,
- a molded case in which said poles are housed, said case having
a base, a cover in two parts, and compartments arranged in the
cover,
- for each pole at least one stationary contact and one movable
contact, and a bar section bearing the movable contact,
- a spring mechanism actuating the bar sections having two
stable positions, a set position and a discharged position,
- a manual operating handle of said mechanism protruding out
from the cover,
- a trip device bringing about automatic opening of said
contacts when a fault occurs,
- auxiliary units performing indication and/or control
functions, each of said compartments being able to accommodate
an auxiliary unit.
A state-of-the-art circuit breaker of the kind mentioned is
customized when it is installed by the addition of auxiliary
units suitable for the application or for the corresponding
electrical installation. These auxiliary units are for example
contacts for indicating the open or closed position of the
contacts, or for indicating tripping on a fault, or for any
other control or indication: These auxiliary units cooperate
electrically or mechanical.~.y with components of the circuit
breaker, and are housed in compartments accessible after a
protective plate or cover has been removed. The compartments are
advantageously electrically insulated from the other parts of
the circuit breaker to enable the auxiliary units to be fitted
or removed, with the switchgear device being live. Each
CA 02106618 2004-02-17
2
auxiliary unit is designed for its function, and its structure
and dimensions vary according to the type of function performed.
The compartments are in turn designed for the type of
corresponding auxiliary units, and can even comprise error
preventors preventing an unsuitable auxiliary unit from being
fitted.
Customization of the circuit breaker by the distributor or
fitter has the advantage of reducing stocks, but this reduction
is limited by the fact that four or five different types of
auxiliary units can be added to each circuit breaker. The fitter
or distributor therefore has to have these four or five types of
auxiliary units available, and this set of auxiliary units is
frequently supplied with the circuit breaker, the unused units
simply being thrown away.
The object of the present invention is to improve these circuit
breakers and to reduce the number of types of auxiliary units.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a
low-voltage electrical circuit breaker comprising:
- a plurality of juxtaposed poles,
- a molded case in which said poles are housed, said case having
a base, a cover in two parts, and compartments arranged in the
cover,
- for each pole at least one stationary contact and one movable
contact, and a bar section bearing the movable contact,
- a spring mechanism actuating the bar sections having two
stable positions, a set position and a discharged position,
- a manual operating handle of said mechanism protruding out
from the cover,
- a trip device bringing about automatic opening of said
contacts when a fault occurs,
CA 02106618 2004-02-17
3
- auxiliary units performing indication and/or control
functions, each of said compartments being able to accommodate
an auxiliary unit,
wherein
said compartments and said auxiliary units are standard
components,
- each compartment comprises a control device of the associated
auxiliary unit, said control devices being standard,
- and each compartment is customized and assigned to a given
function, this function being performed by the standard
auxiliary unit housed in the compartment.
Preferably, the circuit breaker according to the invention
is characterized in that said compartments and said
auxiliary units are standard components, that each
compartment comprises a control device of the associated
auxiliary unit, said control devices being standard, and
that each compartment is customized and assigned to a given
function, this function is being performed by the standard
auxiliary unit housed in the compartment corresponding to
this function.
Preferably, the auxiliary units are standard and the fitter
will be able to customize the circuit breaker and meet the
different requirements from a single stock. The standard
auxiliary unit comprises at least one auxiliary contact
actuated by a pushbutton, which cooperates after it has
been fitted in the corresponding compartment with the
control device of this compartment. The control devices of
the different compartments are naturally located at the
same locations and perform the same actuating travel, the
difference consisting in the electrical or mechanical
connection with the components of the circuit breaker.
CA 02106618 2004-02-17
3a
The invention is preferably applied to a circuit breaker of
the kind described in French Patent application 91.12793 filed
on 15 October 1991 by the applicant, in which circuit breaker
each pole comprises a housing made of molded plastic material in
which a bar section is housed bearing a movable contact bridge.
The different poles of the circuit breaker are juxtaposed in a
case whose cover comprises the compartments housing the
auxiliary unit. One of these compartments, in this instance for
indicating the position of the circuit breaker contacts,
comprises a control device mechanically connected to the bar
bearing the movable contact bridge, so as to represent the
position of the contacts and to actuate the auxiliary contact of
the unit housed in this compartment in consequence. The
mechanical connection between the contact-bearing bar and the
contact position indication control device is preferably formed
by a slide, inserted between two polar housings, said slide
transmitting the movements of the bar by translation to said
control devices of the compartment.
Preferably, another compartment is assigned to indication
of tripping and this compartment .comprises for this purpose
a control device which cooperates with the setting and
disarming hook of the mechanism. The standard auxiliary
unit, housed in this compartment, will thus translate the
position of the mechanism hook and will indicate tripping.
The circuit breaker can also comprise a compartment for
indicating tripping on an electrical fault, said
compartment then being arranged facing a housing of a
control relay acting on the circuit breaker trip bar. The
z~oss~s
4
control device of this compartment is then connected to this
control relay to indicate a tripping order on an electrical
faul t.
Customizing the circuit breaker is particularly simple since the
distributor or fitter simply fits a standard auxiliary unit in
the compartment assigned to the required function. The function
performed by the compartment can be noted by any suitable means,
for example by an inscription. The unused auxiliary units can
naturally be used for other circuit breakers, and any wastage or
useless stock is thus avoided.
The compartments are preferably located on each side of the
operating mechanism and after the auxiliary units have been
fitted, they are blanked off by a second part of the cover,
which may be a plate forming the front panel of the circuit
breaker. The auxiliary units are preferably fixed in the
compartment by simple clipping, enabling an auxiliary unit to be
removed and replaced on request.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages and features will become more clearly apparent
from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of
the invention, given as a non-restrictive example only and
represented in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure l is a schematic plan view of the circuit breaker
according to the invention, the upper part of the cover being
assumed to have been removed and auxiliary units being housed in
each of the compartments.
Figure 2 is a similar view to that of figure l, in which the
auxiliary units have been removed.
2~.~~61~
Figure 3 is a perspective view of an auxiliary unit, according
to figure 1.
Figure 4 -is a sectional view of the auxiliary unit according to
figure 3.
Figure 5 is an axial cross-section of a circuit breaker pole and
of the associated operating mechanism.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the mechanism according to
figure 5.
Figures 7 and 8 are cross-sections of the mechanism represented
respectively in the set position and in the discharged position.
Figures 9 and 10 are elevational views of a circuit breaker
pole, equipped with a slide for indicating the position of the
bar, represented respectively in the closed position and in the
open position of the contacts.
Figure 1l is a schematic perspective view of a control relay and
of the control device of the compartment associated with this
control relay.
The invention is described hereinafter as being applied to a
circuit breaker of the kind described in the above-mentioned
Patent application, but it is clear that it is applicable to any
other type of molded case circuit breaker.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the figures, a molded case l0 of a three-pole circuit breaker
formed by a base 1l and a cover 12 contains three singe-pole
housings 13 arranged side by side. Each housing 13 contains two
stationary contacts l4, 15 which cooperate with a rotary contact
6
bridge 16. The stationary contacts 14, 15 are each connected to
a connecting strip 17, 18 and each pair of contacts 14, 16; 15,
16 has its associated arc extinguishing chamber 19. The contact
bridge 16 is mounted floating in a bar section 20 which
communicates thereto the opening and closing movements of the
contacts 14, 15, 16. The bar sections 20 of the three housings
13 are securedly united by bars 21 coupled to an operating
mechanism, designated by the general reference 22. The mechanism
22 is located above the middle pole of the circuit breaker and
is securedly united to the box 13 of this middle pole by two
lateral flanges 23, 24 which are spaced apart and frame the
mechanism 22. On the flanges 23, 24 there is articulated an
operating handle 25 which protrudes out from the cover 12. On
the flanges 23, 24 there is also articulated, by a spindle 26, a
crank 27 through which the bars 21 pass to bring about rotation
of the bar sections 20. A toggle 28 connects the crank 27 to a
hook 29, itself articulated by a spindle 30 on the flanges 23,
24. The end 31 of the hook 29, opposite from the spindle 30,
bears a locking surface 32 designed to cooperate with a latch
33. The spindle 34 of the toggle 28 is connected by a spring 35
to the handle 25. In the closed pos~.tion of the circuit breaker,
represented in figures 5 and 7, the spring 35 urges the toggle
28 to the extended position, tending to make the bar sections 20
rotate counterclockwise to maintain the contacts 14, 15, 16 in
the closed position. Rightwards pivoting of the handle 25 in
figures 5 and 7 displaces the line of action of the spring 35
causing the toggle 28 to be broken and the bar sections 20 to
rotate clockwise to open the- contacts 14, 15, 16. Actuation of
the latch 33 also causes opening of the circuit breaker, by
releasing the hook 29 which pivots counterclockwise to the
discharged position, represented in figure 8, driving the crank
27 and bar sections 20 to the open position of the contacts 14,
15, 16. Resetting of the mechanism 22 results from the movement
of the handle 25 to the open position and the handle then merely
has to be pivoted in the opposite direction to close the circuit
~~.066~.~
7
breaker. The latch 33 is controlled by a trip unit 36 associated
with or incorporated in the molded case 10. A circuit breaker of
this kind is described in French Patent application 92.1486
filed on '7 February 1992 by the applicant, and the reader should
advantageously refer to this application for further details on
the operation and structure of this circuit breaker.
The cover 12 comprises a front plate (not represented) which,
after it has been removed, gives access to four compartments 37,
38, 39, 40 arranged in the cover 12. These four compartments
37-40 are of identical shape and size to each accommodate a
standard auxiliary contacts unit 41. Referring more particularly
to figures 3 and 4, it can be seen that the auxiliary unit 41
has clipping noses 42, designed to cooperate with conjugate
parts of the compartment 37-40, to fix the unit 41, made of
insulating materlial , by clipping in the corresponding
compartment. Inside the unit 41 there is pivotally mounted a
contact blade 43 of the TUMBLRR type, which cooperates with two
stationary contacts 44 to form a changeover contact. The unit 41
bears external connection terminals 45 and a pushbutton 46 for
control of the contact blade 43. In the out position of the
pushbutton 46, represented in figure 4, the contact blade 43
cooperates with the lower stationary contact 44, whereas in the
depressed position of the pushbutton 46, the contact blade 43
cooperates with the upper stationary contact 44. It is clear
that the auxiliary unit 41 can be arranged in a different manner
and comprise a larger or smaller number of contacts 43, 44, as
well as a different actuating mode of the pushbutton 46.
The auxiliary unit 4l is standard and can be fitted in any one
of the compartments 37-40, the pushbutton 46 passing through an
orifice 47 arranged in the bottom of the compartment 37-40 and
giving access to the corresponding control device 48, 49, 50.
The actuation travels of all these control devices are identical
but these devices cooperate with different component parts of
8
the circuit breaker to customize the corresponding compartment.
In the example illustrated by the figures, the circuit breaker
comprises two compartments 37, 40 associated with the circuit
breaker contacts open and closed indication function. Another
compartment 38 performs indication of tripping of the circuit
breaker and the fourth compartment 39 is assigned to indication
of tripping on an electrical fault. The control devices 48 of
the contact position indication compartments 37, 40 are, in the
manner represented in figures 9 and 10. formed by a slide 51
inserted between two single-pole housings 13 and presenting a
fork 52 which embraces a connecting bar 21 of the bar sections
20. Figure 9 represents the position of the bar 21 when the
contacts 14, 15, 16 are closed, the slide being in the lowered
position, with no action on the pushbutton 46 of the auxiliary
unit 41 which remains in the out position. Figure 10 represents
the position of the bar 21 when the contacts 1.4, 15, 16 are
open, the pivoting and upward movement of the bar 21 having
moved the slide 51 upwards to depress the pushbutton 46 and
actuate the contact blade 43 of the auxiliary unit 41. This
control mode by a slide 51 is particularly simple and
dependable, but it is obvious that the information relating to
the position of the contacts can be taken at another place and
can be transmitted to the pushbutton 46 by other means.
Referring more particularly to figures 6, 7 and 8, it can be
seen that the control device 49 of the tripping indication
compartment 38 takes the information from the hook 29. For this
purpose, a rocker 53 bears on the one hand the control device 49
and on the other hand a stop 54 held against a nose 55 of the
hook 29. Resetting of the hook 29, from the discharged position,
represented in figure 8, by clockwise pivoting of this hook,
causes a counterclockwise rotation of the rocker 53 arid upward
movement of the control device 49 which acts on the pushbutton
46. Tripping causes a reverse movement of the hook 29 on the
9
rocker 53 which then releases the pushbutton 46. The position of
the contact blade 43 of the associated auxiliary unit 41
represents that of the hook 29 and thus indicates any tripping
of the ci.'rcuit breaker.
The other compartment 39 indicates tripping on an electrical
fault, and for this purpose its control device 50 is associated
with a trip control relay 56. The relay 56, illustrated by
figure 11, is an electromagnet housed in a compartment 57 of the
cover 12, facing the compartment 39, said relay actuating a
pivoting assembly 58 having on the one hand a stop 59 for
actuating the circuit breaker tripping latch 33, and on the
other hand a Lever forming the control device 50. It should be
noted that transmission to the auxiliary unit 41 can naturally
be performed in a different manner and that the relay 56 can be
located or arranged in a different manner.
Implementation of the invention is obvious from the above
description. The circuit breaker comprises four compartments
37-40, two 37, 40 of said compartments performing the function
of circuit breaker contact position indication, another
cpmpartment 38 indicating the tripped position, and the fourth
compartment 39 performing the functian of electrical fault
indication. If the fitter or distributor wants to have available
an indication of the contact position, he fits an auxiliary unit
41 in compartment 37 or 40, or in both if the information is to
be provided twice. Fitting is simple; as the auxiliary unit 41
merely has to be clipped into place, and this operation is
performed without any risk, the compartments 37-40 being closed
with respect to the base 11 of the circuit breaker, which
contains the active parts.
Depending on the functions required, he fits an auxiliary unit
4l in one of the other compartments 38 or 39, or if he requires
all the functions, tkie fitter fits. auxiliary units 41 in each of
10
the compartments 37-40. Access to these compartments 37-40, 57
is then prevented by fitting the plate before closing the cover
12. Subsequent removal or addition of an auxiliary unit 41 can
naturally be performed easily after the front plate has been
removed. A single circuit breaker can comprise a larger or
smaller number of compartments, which can be assigned to other
functions defined when the circuit breaker is manufactured. The
choice of the function results from the choice of the
compartment in which the standard auxiliary unit 41 is fitted.
The location and arrangement of these compartments can be
different and the connections of the control devices of these
compartments with the corresponding components of the circuit
breaker can be achieved in a different manner, notably
electrically or by any other means.
